Maple Roasted Carrots with Gremolata

Simple dishes are sometimes the best ones and this is one of those. Two components come together to make the perfect mixture sweet, salty, tangy and herby. These maple roasted potatoes are a lovely side dish to pretty much any meal, any time of the year. Here in Sweden this is one of the locally grown vegetables we can enjoy all year around – yay for the carrot! Roasting them is a great way to bring out their natural sweetness and pairing with a zesty gremolata with fresh notes from both the lemon and parsley as well as some zing from the garlic makes them sing. Try it!

Malin x

PS. If you are after more festive dishes for your green Christmas dinner or Sunday roast I just posted these as well: perfectly crispy roast potatoes, shaved brussel sprouts salad with a zesty orange dressing and of course the ever so appreciated vegan gravy.

Maple Roasted Carrots with Gremolata

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

600 g carrots

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp maple syrup

Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the gremolata:

0,5 cup / A very large handful flat leaf parsley

Zest from 1 lemon

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 small garlic clove

Salt, to taste

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees celsius.

Peel the carrots if needed. If the carrots are small simply roast them as is but if they are larger halve or quarter them. Place the prepped carrots in a roasting tray large enough that they have some space in between them. Drizzle with the oil and maple syrup and season with salt and black pepper. Toss to coat and roast in the preheated oven for roughly 30-35 minutes, the roasting time will depend on the size of the carrots. It may even take a little longer if the carrots are chunky, simply be patient and test the tenderness with a fork. They should turn a little bit golden when ready.

While the carrots are roasting prepare the gremolata. Finely chop the parsley and add it to a bowl. Zest your lemon into the bowl and if using a micro plane use it also for grating the garlic clove into the bowl. If you are not using a micro plane simply mince the garlic in the way you prefer and add it to the bowl along with the lemon juice and salt. Drizzle over the olive oil and mix well.

Once the carrots are roasted plate them up and drizzle about half of the gremolata and serve the remainder on the size in a small bowl.